The Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority (JHALSA) has taken suo motu cognizance of the alleged embarrassment faced by the girl students of Carmel School in the district of Dhanbad by the hands of the school principal. The State body has directed the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to investigate the matter while the latter has offered free legal aid and compensation to the ‘victim’ students.
It was on Thursday last week when M Devashree, Principal Carmel School, Dhanbad was accused of instructing as many as 80 Class from 10th standard to remove their shirts and go home in blazers as the students were celebrating ‘Pen Day’. The girls on the last day of the session were seen writing farewell wishes on each other’s shirts which as per the principal could tarnish the institute’s image and she made the students remove their shirts.
The officials at JHALSA stated that a joint team comprising of members both from the DLSA and the district administration have conducted an investigation on Monday and recorded statements given by the school principal, a teacher and the parents while technical experts also reviewed CCTV footage related to the incident.
“If the allegations are verified, the female students qualify as victims of molestation and are entitled to compensation under existing legal provisions. The investigation report will be submitted to JHALSA soon and further steps will be taken based on their directives,” said an official.
In an initiative undertaken by the Jharia MLA Ragini Singh, the child welfare committee of the district will also be investigating the matter.
As per an order issued by JHALSA, principal district and sessions judge and Dhanbad DLSA chairman, Virendra Kumar Tiwari, formed a nine- member committee led by Kumar Vimlendu, head of the legal and defence council system (LDCS).
Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Abhibhavak Mahasangh (JAM) has also filed a complaint with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), accusing the principal of committing such a "shameful act" and demanding action under the POCSO Act.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyathi Parishad (ABVP) while protesting against the incident blocked the main gate of the school. ABVP protestors demanded cancellation of the school’s registration and strict action against the principal.